The unsatisfactory results of the unreliable and high-maintenance M-class Mallets led the Kenya-Uganda Railway to switch to Garratt-type locomotives. They weighed over 120 tons loaded, had a Belpaire firebox and were among the most powerful meter gauge locomotives of their time. The first four machines to be delivered came in 1926 from Beyer, Peacock & Co. and were designated class EC. They were fired with eucalyptus wood, which soon proved inefficient and dangerous for the crew. Thus, a conversion to coal firing took place, but they were already sold to Indochina in 1939.

In 1927, 20 examples of the EC1 were purchased, which were essentially identical to the EC but were coal-fired from the start. Two more examples followed in 1930, which differed from the 1927 machines in minimal details. For this reason, the first series later became the class 50 and the second the class 51 in the East African Railways. Ten more oil-fired machines followed in 1931, which ran as the EC2 on the KUR and later became class 52 on the EAR.

Works photo of EC Nr. 41

Beyer, Peacock & Co.

With the Garratts, the train loads could be significantly increased compared to the older locomotives. Up to 440 tons could now be towed on the old stretches with a gradient of up to two percent, on which the older eigth-coupled vehicles could tow a maximum of 200 tons. They also hauled passenger trains at higher speeds on the upgraded line between Mombasa and Nairobi. They were mostly phased out in the 1950s and some of the bogies were reused to rebuild class 13 tank locomotives from a 4-8-2 to 4-8-4 wheel arrangement.

For the requirements of the Second World War, the KUR had seven Garratts of the EC4 class built from 1944, which had a high power despite their light construction. In 1945, the KUR received two more or less identical EC5s, four of which went to the Tanganyika Railways and others to India and Burma. The KUR soon received the machines from Tanganyika and five from Burma. Six more, slightly revised locomotives were ordered in 1949. These entered service directly for the East African Railways and were designated the Class 56, while the EC4 and EC5 formed the Classes 54 and 55.

The class 59 of the East African Railways wasn't only the most powerful and heaviest Garratt locomotive ever built for meter gauge, but most likely also heavier than all built for cape gauge and nearly as heavy as the heaviest standard gauge Garratts in Australia and the Soviet Union. They were designed to accelerate freight traffic on the 330 miles between Mombasa and Nairobi. While Mombasa is located on the coast, Nairobi's elevation is 1.661 m or 5.450 ft above sea level.

Their wheel arrangement 4-8-2+2-8-4 is also called “Double Mountain”, since it resembles two 4-8-2 “Mountain” locomotives coupled back to back. In fact, the 34 locomotives built by Beyer-Peacock in 1955 were named after mountains. Their task was to haul 1,200 ton trains up long inclines of 1.5 percent. When needed, they also had to take over express trains with 35 coaches.

For the whole of their lives, they operated on the same line. Many of their crews only consisted of Sikhs. These always kept their locomotive in the best and cleanest condition and decorated their cab in a special way. After all had been withdrawn between 1973 and 1980, No. 5918 “Mount Gelai” was overhauled at the Nairobi Railway Museum. Until 2005, it wasn't only used to haul excursion trains, but sometimes even had to stand in when there was a shortage of diesel locomotives.